Introduction
Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Area
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km
Land boundaries
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 18 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate
tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Irrigated land
38,440 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Environment - current issues
many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal
Population
141,340,476 (July 2004 est.)